The folks from Speedway, Indiana-based Daredevil Brewing have put together this effort - Daredevil Hall, a restaurant and taproom located on the ground floor of the Ironworks Hotel building at the west end.
In case you're a little slow on the uptake, Daredevil Hall is both a restaurant, which is family friendly, and a taproom, which is ages 21+ only for obvious legal reasons.
The whole Ironworks building does a nice job in terms of accessibility. Daredevil Hall has accessible parking, definitely ADA compliant, directly in front of the building. The wood, two-sided entryway (with a glass center) is a tad heavy, but generally workable. As a rule, every business in this complex is really good about grabbing the door if you're struggling a bit.
As you enter, there's a hosting area basically right in front of you. Slightly to the left, you have the actual "hall" or the area considered family friendly. Further to the left, you have the actual taproom that is restricted to those aged 21 and over. The seating in the hall ranges from 2-4 person booth/table combos along with a series of tables and longer tables down the middle of the hall. The decor is consistent with the industrial vibe of Ironworks, though the wood complements everything quite nicely.
I was surprised, but pleased, to be seated at a 4-top. The hostess removed both chairs from one side for me.
My server, Anjelica, was prompt and courteous throughout. She seemed a bit introverted, but overall the service was solid and I got my always desired iced tea refill.
Yes, I went to a brewery and ordered my usual unsweetened iced tea. While I do drink, it's not a frequent thing for me and for some weird reason I seldom drink with meals.
Daredevil has a pretty brought beer and wine menu. They offer Growler and what they call Crowlers. Food from the restaurant is also available in the taproom. The food menu includes shareables, soups/chilis, tacos, a handful of sandwiches, burgers, pomme frites/poutine, and some sausages. They do also have a kids' menu. Generally speaking, the price point is sort of mid-range - if you have alcohol, it obviously goes up. I ordered a Brewery Cheeseburger that comes with two 5 oz. house burgers, lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion, remoulade, and American cheese. As a nice touch, their menu actually suggests the perfect beer to go with each sandwich. The burgers all come with pomme frites (fries) or a side salad.
The burger was quite good - I will admit I'd probably prefer it without cheese, but it was pretty incredible anyway. The fries are on the thinner side, seasoned quite perfectly, and absolutely delicious. The serving size for both is quite good - you definitely feel like you're getting a "meal."
The entire meal with iced tea came in at just over $15 without a tip. This is a bit of a splurge for me, but certainly not unreasonable. I would definitely return.
The service? Quite good, though probably more 4-star than 5-star. I got my usual iced tea refill - always desired. Though, she was definitely a touch introverted and maybe even a little distracted (in fairness, it was fairly busy). It was still quite good, though, but maybe not to the level of what I consider true hospitality. I was also greeted by one supervisor named Luke - I don't actually know his position, though he appeared to be in a supervisory role.
The atmosphere was comfortable. It was a bit louder than I usually like, though most people seemed to be having conversations just fine. I also liked that they took your credit card and ran it at the table. After a recent negative experience at another restaurant, I've become a lot more careful about the credit card.
Overall, my inclination would be to give a 4.5 star. Obviously, that's not possible. I think with 2 minor issues, I lean more toward a 4-star than a 5-star right now but this may jump up upon subsequent visits. While I won't quite say that Daredevil will be a regular stomping ground, it's definitely somewhere I will return to and I will likely try a brew the next time.
A perfect fit for this Ironworks complex, Daredevil Hall was doing quite brisk business despite some environmental protesters outside along the block protesting some cutting of trees across the street along Haverstick Road. However, even they were well behaved and this was definitely a welcome treat tonight. read more